Z.I.P.

Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast the New York Red Bulls home game against Chivas USA on Saturday at 7:30 EST from the new Red Bulls Arena in lovely Harrison NJ. Sinisa Ubiparipovic starts at LW for the Red Bulls, while Blair Gavin and Ben Zemanski start across the center midfield for los chivos de Chivas. Both teams are in big-time slumps. I believe CD Chivas a four-game losing streak in league, and Red Bulls three-game losers (though they did beat lowly Juventus in a friendly)? Both sides are frantic for a 'W'. Over-under on attendance? 10,000 anyone?

Agreed, but apparently MU(OH) is all about letting people see their absolute worst. Just ask those 3 sororities. I think it was 1999 when Kansas State made a field goal on the last play to make the score 56 to 0 over Northern Illinois. Then they went to the locker room to prepare for the second half. This game should be similar. But looking at that sked, the Redsk, er, uh, Redhawks have a serious shot at four wins this season. Can the I-team say that?

Well, that's what happens when you downgrade athletics!

Can anyone Cut-n-Paste? That site isn't working for me.

Do we need any further proof of the priority of the New Akron Athletics? However, our old friend Barb would have booked a flight back home, then driven to NC with a stop to see the Rifle team in between!

No, I don't care. But thanks for the notice, I wouldn't miss it for my life! What interview are we talking about again?

You can "aspire" and "want" until the cows come home...if no one wants to offer a scholarship, you either accept being a walk-on, or give up the dream. Seems to me he would be a coveted recruit. To the Penguinis of YSU!

I do. Every MAC team was excited about making the road trip to Florida. It was a lot more attractive than Muncie or Ypsalanti. I know every Zips player during that era had the Florida trip marked on their calendar. Spot on. Hey, ITZ! Just noticed your new address. Congratulations on the venture! So, did you have a chance to watch Nottingham Forest's grand collapse from certain promotion to playoff losers? Forest just happens to be my team in the FA. My Dad served in the USAAF/RAF in Stone village, just West of you. How's the pub life where you are?

Yeah, yeah, yeah...he's moved up in income bracket, but also his workplace is Downtown Cleveland, rather than the title of that old Pretenders' song.

The pathetic focus of "LeBron Day In Akron" is that the guy left Akron back in -- I may be off by a year or so here so forgive me, I forget exactly -- 2003. But, as they say, you can take LeBron James out of Akron, but you can't take the Akron out of LeBron James. Will the city's "image" somehow be harmed if James plays in New York or Chicago, rather than Cleveland? Gimme a break, folks. Akron might be better off, meaning it would gain greater acclaim, if LeBron played in Tokyo or Paris or some other world capitol, rather than in the insular empire. Maybe Bron can get that agent from the United commercial with Mark Cuban? "LeBron only wants to play in Zurich...Amsterdam...Beijing...!"

The only network I'm aware of that televises college soccer is Fox Soccer Channel. They have a Friday night game of the Week, so only the UNC game would fit of the two in NC. Not sure if the stadium there can accomodate TV. But, usually the games are in the NE -- so if Bucknell plays Lafayette that night, well, just forget it.

Even before I read this article I can tell you, the Great Decline of Midwest, or Big-11 football, or um, athletics, is one of the great and persistent blog headlines that won't go away. I see no similar evidence showing such a bottoming out. Yes, the Southeast Conference has increased what advantages they have had in certain sports (i.e, football) as these sports have increased in size (i.e., $$), and the ACC has grown, in large part through expansion, but interestingly, the conference that has also increased it's influence and power is the Big-12, which last time I checked was a Midwestern conference (though I could repeat the findings of a survey I took for a geography class in 1981 showing a majority of UA students believed all Midwestern states were East of the Mississippi!). But, if you want to focus in on the Big 10/11/qualquiero, I see no hard evidence that it's relative position in major or Olympic sports has declined over the past decade or two. However, if I am off-base, I know that Dave From Green will present graphic testimony using conclusive RPI evidence that will put me in my place. Give it your Bulldog best Dave. BTW, folks, please don't get me going about the PAC-10's "dominance" in college athletics. Oh, well, maybe if you live outside the West coast you don't have to put up with that shameless self-promotion.

These projections are rated in part not so much on skills or working within the team, but on simple individual athleticism. Ownsby is generally considered the fastest player in collegiate football/soccer. But using those standards, Zemanski and Gavin wouldn't be starting in MLS now.

Or any of his time.... The guy is an absolute do nothing. I figured GP-1 was with the group calling for him to nationalize BP. Now we know!

This is not the "official" MLS projection of the 2011 MLS Superdraft. But it's a pretty good approximation. Three Zips are projected to go in the first round. Personally, I think Kofi will go much higher than this. And a couple of others could go and make the first round also. As they say, "Nothing succeeds like success".

Good guess, but not the Falcons. Happened in 2006. The Canucks. No, no -- it was the Ken-tucks! Wildcats of the MAC. BTW -- if going to the College Cup, don't head to Santa Clara. It's about 200 miles to the SW in Santa Barbara. See ya there

Yeah, I'm sure Obama is beside himself. As if his BP-Katrina isn't taking up enough of his time, now he has to juggle LBJ offers in his role as Chief Sporting Official. I think Bron would actually make a pretty fearsome keeper to tell the truth -- and as the piece says -- he plays just as much soccer as Beckham does.

I've seen both of the Jordan boys as seniors the last two years and I can tell you -- the younger brother who is headed to UCF in the fall is FAR better than his just transferred brother. But neither is an NBA quality player. --edit-- I was off by a year -- Marcus will be a Soph in Orlando next fall. Wow, how time flies. And speaking of which -- I thought it was a joke when someone said the school better wear Nikes. I guess I was wrong!

From the same page: New Coach Coming to Nittany Land. And surprise -- he's not named Bahr. So, PSU is taking a different tack from Indiana.

More on the Akron-to L.A. journey of Ben and Blair from Kyle McCarthy of Goal.com “We play quick and when we lose it, we want to get it back so we can attack some more,” Zemanski said. “We were bred in that system and that's how Martin wants us to play.

I watched the Chivas USA - Real Salt Lake game on Fox Regional last night from Home Depot Center. While the home team took a very disappointing 2-1 loss to the MLS champs on a goal in about the 88th minute, it was one of the most exciting -- though not best-played games of the young season. AND, Ben Zemanski absolutely played the game of his life. With Sasha Klestjan gone to the US World Cup training camp, Blair Gavin has moved up to the Attacking Mid spot, and got more than a couple opportunities to put the ball in the net for Chivas. However, none of his shots or center passes paid off. At the same time, Zemanski took over at the holding mid, and quarterbacked the Goats magnificently. His pass completion percentage from out of the back was so high it eliminated him for life from ever playing for the Cleveland Browns. This "kid" has already developed such a system with the team's attackers that before you can say "Zemanski has the ball", he's released it to a teammate making a serious run. Ben was the leader of what offense Chivas was able to put together. They sure could use another striker though. New coach Martin Vasquez was employing a 4-5-1 that created a lot of possession against Real, but not enough real scoring chances. Reminded me of another team with an Akron flavor -- Zakuani's Sounders. Both teams in big-time need of finishers.

The University of Hawai'i's Athletic Director has come up with a novel approach to raising parking funds through an on-line reverse auction of stadium parking spots. They anticipate possibly raising over 700k total. You think this will catch on?

Link to article Actually, this quote was stolen from ex-Texas governor, Ann Richards speaking about W. Bush (or was it his daddy?) at the Democratic Convention. She also famously said, "He was born with a silver foot in his mouth."

You must be young! Are you saying eighteen hundred people turned out to see the University of Akron baseball team? Where at? Back in the good ol' days of the OVC, when Mike Birkbeck was on the mound, they were lucky to get 18 people at the game. All I remember from Akron baseball was how more than once in the same game, the umps were unable to tell if a ball that landed deep fell inside or outside the fence, because there was just a chain link fence separating the OF from Exchange Street, with no canvas even covering it. Was that a HR or a Ground Rule Double? Ask the center fielder?

Very fascinating -- though I think I took this previously several years ago. Not sure if I've changed (though change is a good thing) BUT: Econ Left/Right -6.62 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian -8.41 Yes -- I'm way out there! Can GP-1 say that? How about the Paulists? Go Left Libs!